Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 T. cornstarch
salt and pepper
2 T. vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 green onions, white and green parts separated, each cut into 1 inch pieces
2 T. rice vinegar
3 T. hoisin sauce
3/4 c. cashews

Directions:
In a med. bowl, toss the chicken with the cornstarch until chicken is coated; season with 3/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper.
Heat 1 T. oil in a large nonstick skillet. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining oil and chicken to the skillet along with the garlic and the white parts of the onions. Cook tossing often, until the chicken is browned about 3 minutes. Return the first batch of chicken to the pan. Add the vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
Add the hoisin sauce and 1/4 c. water; cook, tossing until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the green parts of the onions and cashews. Serve immediately over white rice.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
My kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. Who knew that they loved cashews so much? Blake and I both really liked this too...and not just because of the cashews.

Chicken and Basil Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 T. cornstarch
coarse salt and pepper
6 t. vegetable oil
1 small onion, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch thick wedges
2 bell peppers, (red or green or mix) ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. water
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
1 1/2 c. fresh basil

Directions:
Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Toss chicken with cornstarch until completely coated; season generously with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat 2 t. oil over medium high heat. Cook half of the chicken, turning once, until browned on both sides but not completely cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with another 2 t. oil and remaining chicken; transfer to a plate.
Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel. Add remaining 2 t. oil, along with onion and bell peppers; cook over medium high heat, tossing often, until vegetables begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the water, vinegar, soy sauce and chicken; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in basil leaves. Serve over rice if desired.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
Blake has been on an Asian kick lately so I figured that I would try to find some recipes to curb his cravings. I was somewhat surprised at how flavorful this was even though it didn't have that many ingredients. I am sure that you could leave out the basil and it would taste just as good.

Asian Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
3 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) chicken broth
1 T. fresh ginger, grated and peeled
1 garlic clove, cut into slivers
1/4 to 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 c. water
4 oz. soba noodles
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced crosswise
1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1 inch strips
6 oz. snow peas, stem ends and strings removed, sliced diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
1 to 2 T. lime juice
2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Directions:
In a large pot, bring chicken broth, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and the water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles, and reduce heat to a simmer; cook until noodles are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add chicken, bell pepper, and snow peas; cook until chicken is opaque throughout, about 1 minute. Add lime juice and scallions, and season with salt.
Serve by dividing noodles among four bowls, then ladle the soup mixture over each.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:
When I got all ready to make this I was sure that I had soba noodles. Oops. I had somen noodles which cook a lot faster. So instead of using uncooked chicken I just used rotisserie chicken and added the ingredients accordingly. It worked out quite nice. I like the flavor of the soup and that it was light. I probably will try to see if I can find soba noodles and try it that way, at a later date, to see which one I like better.

Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs With Mint Feta Sauce

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces
1/2 small red onion, quartered lengthwise, layers separated
2 T. olive oil
1 t. dried oregano
3 T. red-wine vinegar
1/2 c. feta, crumbled
1/4 c. plain yogurt
1 c. fresh mint leaves, packed

Directions:
In a resealable plastic bag, combine chicken, zucchini, onion, olive oil, oregano and 2 T. vinegar; season with 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. Marinate at room temperature 30 minutes
(or refrigerate up to overnight).
Heat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Onto each skewer, thread 3 pieces of chicken with zucchini and onion. Grill skewers, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, 12-14 minutes.
For the sauce, blend feta, yogurt, mint and remaining tablespoon vinegar in a food processor until smooth. Serve kebabs with dipping sauce.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 1 hour with marinating.

Verdict:
I thought that these were just OK. The chicken was good but nothing to write home about. I did really like the onions though. I also think that this would taste better with a tzatziki sauce.

Asparagus and Prosciutto Pasta with Ricotta Mint Pesto

For the bread crumbs:
1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. lemon zest, minced

For the pesto:
1 c. fresh mint, packed
1 c. whole milk ricotta cheese
1/4 c. olive oil
3 T. lemon juice
1/3 c. Parmesan, grated
2 T. pine nuts, toasted

For the pasta:
1/2 lb. prosciutto or bacon, diced
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. fresh asparagus, stems trimmed, cut into 3 inch pieces
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 lb. campanelle pasta

Directions:
Toast crumbs in 2 t. oil in a nonstick skillet over med. heat until browned, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in zest, salt, and pepper flakes; set aside.
Process mint, ricotta, 1/4 c. oil, lemon juice, Parmesan, pine nuts, salt and black pepper for the pesto in a food processor; set aside.
Saute prosciutto in 1 T. oil in a skillet until crisp, 3-4 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and boil 2-3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer asparagus to a bowl of ice water, then drain.
Saute asparagus in same skillet used for the prosciutto, 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine and reduce until evaporated; set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions in same water used to boil the asparagus. Reserve 1/2 c. pasta water, then drain. Combine pasta with pesto and reserved pasta water in the pasta pot, then transfer to a serving bowl. Top pasta with asparagus, prosciutto, and bread crumb mixture.

Makes 8 cups. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
I changed a couple things about this recipe. First off I used bacon instead of prosciutto. Then I also left out the pine nuts out of the pesto. Pine nuts are just so expensive I couldn't bring myself to buy them. With those changes I still think that it tasted great. I really liked that this was fresh and easy to make. Blake liked it OK. He is not the biggest fan of most herbs so take that with a grain of salt. I am also sure he would have been a bigger fan if it had chicken in it. That is just how he rolls.

Garlic Chicken Alfredo

Ingredients:
12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
8 T. butter, divided
2 t. garlic, minced
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. Italian cheese blend, shredded
9 oz. fettuccine noodles
1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed (optional)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook fettuccine according to package directions.
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 T. butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until lightly browned and almost cooked. Stir in garlic; cook 2 minutes.
Add remaining 7 T. butter and cream to chicken mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until butter melts and mixture begins to thicken, 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Drain pasta and set aside.
Stir cheese and peas into cream mixture, cook until cheese is melted and mixture thickens, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Combine chicken mixture and fettuccine.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:
I had trouble with this recipe but that is only because I didn't read the directions right and added the cream at the wrong time. Even with that complication this turned out really good. The flavor was great. I am going to try this again and perhaps I can get it to be the cream sauce it is suppose to be instead of the oily sauce I made it.

Hot Potato Salad

For the casserole:
2 lbs. baby red potatoes, quartered
1 1/2 pkgs. cream cheese, softened (12 oz. total)
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 c. cheddar, shredded
2 T. green onions, chopped
1 T. parsley, chopped
1 T. dill, minced
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

For the topping:
1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1 T. parsley, chopped
1/4 t. paprika

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425; coat a 2 qt. casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water over high heat until fork tender, 12-15 minutes; drain and set aside.
Combine cream cheese and buttermilk in a large bowl until blended. Stir in cheddar, green onions, 1 T. parley, dill and cayenne; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in hot potatoes into cream cheese mixture until coated; transfer to prepared baking dish.
Combine bread crumbs, parmesan, 1 T. parsley, and paprika in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle topping over potato salad.
Bake until potatoes are completely soft and topping is golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Makes 6 servings. Total time 1 hour.

Verdict:
Oh, have mercy. This is rich and flavorful and oh so yummy. I loved this and so did Blake. I do have to say that it does make a lot of food. We ate ours as a side dish along with hamburger patties.